How do you develop a horse's ability to stand calmly for the farrier and veterinarian?

A horse that stands quietly for the farrier and veterinarian is safer for everyone involved and is a reflection of correct foundational training in accepting handling of its entire body, picking up and holding its feet, and remaining still under conditions that might be mildly uncomfortable or unfamiliar. These qualities should be developed long before the farrier or veterinarian arrives, because trying to train a horse to accept foot handling during a scheduled farrier appointment with time pressure and a professional waiting is neither effective nor fair to the horse. Foot handling is introduced progressively from the earliest stages of the horse's training — first simply running a hand down the leg, then applying pressure at the fetlock to ask the horse to pick up the foot, then holding the foot briefly before setting it down and rewarding. The duration the foot is held increases gradually as the horse becomes comfortable, and the position in which it is held — forward as for front feet, back and up as for hind feet — is introduced progressively to match the actual demands of farrier work. Horses that are reactive to hind foot handling often benefit from systematic desensitization of the hindquarters using a rope that simulates the sensation of the farrier's hold before actual handling begins. For veterinary procedures, desensitization to injections — tapping the neck with a finger or blunt object repeatedly before any actual needle contact — and to having various parts of the body palpated, flexed, and examined develops the horse's tolerance for clinical handling. A horse that stands quietly for routine maintenance and veterinary evaluation is safer, less expensive to manage, and more likely to receive the care it needs without sedation or physical restraint.